Viserra Targaryen
Princess Viserra Targaryen was born a member of the cadet branch House Targaryen of Dragon's Rest but became a naturalised member of House Targaryen of the Red Keep with her three siblings after the deaths (or abdications, in the case of Prince Daeron and Princess Rhaelle) of King Aegon V and his descendants. She was the second daughter and youngest child of Lord Jaehaerys Targaryen and Lady Valaena Velaryon, and the sister of Princess Naeys Targaryen, King Daeron III Targaryen and Ser Aelyx Targaryen. She was the wife of Lord Orys Baratheon, the mother of Lady Cassandra Baratheon, Lord Rogar Baratheon, Ser Elric Baratheon, Lady Elenei Baratheon, Lady Jocelyn Baratheon and Maester Aemon Baratheon and the dragonrider of the mount Skytrike (formerly named Sweet Sister). Appearance and Character Unlike her elder siblings who were all born with Valyrian silver hair, Viserra had the ebony black hair of her maternal grandmother, a Blackwood, and the purple characteristic of her Targaryen heritage. Though she was attractive and had the classic Valyrian looks, her sister Naerys' famed beauty was so intense she was considered plain in comparison. Her features were striking and sharp, often negatively compared to Naerys' soft elegance despite the fact that if she were any other girl she would be considered beautiful. She was by far the shortest of her siblings, standing at 5'1", compared often to her willowy sister's 5'8". After being stuck by lightning and falling into the Blackwater with her dragon Skystrike (then Sweet Sister), her appearance changed. Her hair now had streaks of white, streaks of silver and streaks of silvery-blue. Along with this, a deep indigo scar travelled across the side of her face down her back, neck, chest, shoulders, arms, fingers, torso and legs in the shape of a lightning bolt, believed to be an imprint of the one that struck her. Maesters believed it would fade within the year but it never did, becoming a permanent fixture on her body. She preferred ridingwear and men's wear to dresses and gowns and was rarely seen without her hair tied back, up or in tight, practical braids. On her person she carried a Valyrion steel dagger with a dragon bone hilt (believed to be taken from the skeleton of Balerion the Black Dread, stolen from the Red Keep weaponry vault by her great-great-grandparents Princess Aelinor and Prince Viserys Targaryen). She was surpassingly proficient in blades, having been taught by her brother, Ser Aelyx. She was called wild by all who knew her and all who didn't. The move from the Fire Isles embittered her, and the ascension of her brother Daeron and their subsequent permanent residency left her enraged. She refused to assimilate into court and was confused disgusted by how her siblings seemed to willingly do so. Despite her hatred of her surroundings, her dislike never extended to her siblings. Though her constant comparison to Naerys was infuriating, she never let it sway her love for her sister. After losing her parents and a great many friends to the grey plague that swept through the Fire Isles, she grew an aggressive devotion to her siblings. Along with her siblings and unlike her ancestors, Viserra held a deep loathing to close kin incest, staunchly refusing to ever associate with anyone who believed in or engaged in the practice. The death of her sister to the Shivers in 255 AC sunk her heart and the death of her brother to Maelys the Monstrous five years later maddened her to a temporary insanity. She abandoned Storm's End, leaving behind her four young children (the youngest two being only a year old) and her despondent husband, retreating to the Fire Isles with her dragon Skystrike and closing the island off. No one could enter, none could leave. Many worried she was yet another victim of Targaryen madness and that she would soon turn to a murderous rage as Maegor had, and as the weeks turned to months the paranoia amongst the kingdom grew. Suggestions of assassination were even brought forth, but King Daeron staunchly refused. When four moons passed without a word from her, Orys, figuratively maddened by the loss of his wife, stole the dragon Sunshadow and flew to the Fire Isles, despite not knowing if such an act would kill him. Balerion was receptive however, having been apparently depressed since the loss of his fellow dragon Skystrike. Orys prepared himself to find his wife in a violent state, but instead found her weeping in the bedroom of her parents, begging Orys to kill her too. He appealed to her, pleading for her to remember their babes and to live for them, himself and her brother. After a near hour of coaxing she agreed to return. She was deemed sane by maesters and grew back into her former self over the course of a few months. She was self-willed, headstrong and fiercely loyal to her family. History Early life Viserra was born the fourth child and second daughter of Lord Jaehaerys Targaryen and Lady Valaena Velaryon in 230 AC in Dragon's Rest, on the Fire Isles. She was the youngest of her siblings; with two years between herself and Aelyx, three between herself and Daeron and six between herself and Naerys. She was a horror from birth, constantly terrorising her wet nurses and caretakers. She misliked being cooped up within the castle, preferring to roam the streets, swim and fly. Jaehaerys and Valaena had originally hoped their eldest daughter Naerys would bond with the slender she-dragon Sweet Sister, but this would not come to fruition. Naerys, though loving the dragons themselves, was terrified of flight and never bonded with any. It Viserra who would ultimately mount Sweet Sister. The family woke one day to find Viserra and Sweet Sister nowhere to be found. After of frantic search of ground, sea and air, they were finally found by Daeron flying over Lys. She was closest to her brother Aelyx and the two would be constant companions, regularly creating elaborate jests to trick their elder siblings. A visiting Lysene lord once japed of the two marrying, earning himself and iciness from the two for the rest of his stay. In the last months of 238 AC, the innocence of her childhood was lost. The grey plague swept through the Fire Isles. Her father was an early casualty, though it was rumoured Lady Valaena had mercy-killed him, not that he had perished with the disease. Her brother Daeron became Lord of Dragon's Rest, and his first acts were of containing the outbreak, though it would take another year before it was totally eradicated. Viserra watched as all those she had known died, including her mother. When all was done, the grey plague of 239 AC claimed 98 lives. From Dragon's Rest to the Red Keep 240 AC signalled the end of her life on the Fire Isles. Across the narrow sea in Westeros the rule of King Aegon V had culminated in tragedy. After he refused the marriage of his children Jaehaerys and Shaera and thwarted their attempted elopement, the two committed a joint suicide. Beside this, his heir Prince Duncan had recently wed a commoner and abdicated. This process, the ostracisation and disrespect she received and the stress of Jaehaerys and Shaera combined and led his wife Jenny of Oldstones into an unhappy and dangerous pregnancy that resulted in her death and the death of the child, Alysanne, a few days later. Prince Duncan, mad with grief, shoved a dagger in his heart at her funeral. Aegon's queen and the mother of his children, Betha Blackwood, blamed herself for the deaths of Jaehaerys, Shaera, Duncan, Jenny and Alysanne and sunk into deep depression, finally throwing herself from their bedroom window a week later. Prince Daeron, Aegon's only remaining son and eldest remaining child, refused to sit on the throne, citing his blame for his siblings' and mother's death on it and his refusal to wed and sire children. Rhaelle, Aegon only remaining daughter and the youngest of his five children, also refused the throne. She too blamed it for the deaths of her mother, brothers and sister and threatened her own suicide if she be forced to seat it. Aegon announced a Great Council, and with the Lords of Westeros he also called his distant cousins of the Fire Isles. Viserra, then 10, strongly opposed leaving. She spoke of how their ancestors had left Westeros entirely because of this reason and that the succession crisis was none of their concern, that leaving their home would only embroil them in the trivial yet dangerous Westerosi game of thrones, that all that was waiting for them were the rotting remains the Kings and Queens and Lords and Ladies had left behind. She was overruled however, by the sense of duty and honour her elder siblings held. Refusing to stay behind without her family, she reluctantly agreed to accompany the three to King's Landing. Their entrance at King's Landing is near fabled, and when they landed it became clear to everyone that any semblance of a chance Prince Daeron or Princess Rhaelle had of receiving their father's throne vanished. They had brought all three dragons with them; Daeron and Naerys on Sunshadow, Aelyx on Starsmoke and Viserra on Sweet Sister. Daeron and Naerys landed at the steps of the Red Keep, Aelyx had circled the city before landing beside his siblings while Starsmoke curled around the towers of the Keep and Viserra had jumped down from her dragon with Sweet Sister flying to the ruins of the Dragonpit. It was said the sun shining on Daeron's silver-gold hair made him look crowned, that Naerys was the most beautiful woman any had ever seen and that she was the Maiden made flesh, that Aelyx was the Dragonknight come again and Viserra was Queen Visenya reborn. Several smallfolk fell to their knees as the four siblings strode towards the castle. It was not King Aegon who greeted them at the door but Prince Daeron. It was reported that he was so in shock at the entrance of his cousins it took him several moments to compose himself. He did so however, and when his cousins enquired as to the location fo King Aegon he explained to them how just a few days prior he had retreated to Summerhall with only a few Kingsguard with him, apparently in an attempt to hatch dragon eggs. The subsequent inferno killed everyone inside. The Great Council was finally called to session in the early months of 241 AC, with a verdict now even more important as they were not seeking only an heir but a King. There were now only two remaining Targaryens of the Red Keep, Rhaelle and Daeron, who both in no uncertain terms vehemently refused the throne. The only other claimant was a Tarth boy who claimed to be the son of a bastard girl of Princess Rhae and Ser Duncan. His claim was verified but immediately dismissed, as not only was his link to the throne through a bastard but also a woman. It seemed the council had already decided that the young Lord Daeron should rule. Despite his age he already had experience in leadership and was a dragonrider. Unspoken as it was, the fact he and his siblings were all unwed was also considered. Daeron made it as clear as he could that he did not wish to be Aegon the Conquerer, and only wanted to do his duty to the realm his family had given charge of. His seemingly genuine wish to help the realm prosper once more after the tragedies of 240 AC made him an attarctive candidate. Ultimately the Great Council would disperse a few months later, having unanimously voted Lord Daeron as King. Another outcome was the betrothal of Lady Argella Baratheon to Daeron and Princess Rhaelle to Aelyx, something that made several of the lords prickle. Naerys and Viserra still remained unmarried however, and so they were not so upset. Ascension and reign of King Daeron III Targaryen Viserra was never happy during the proceedings. She constantly fought with her siblings as they continued to pledge themselves to Westeros. At the coronation of her brother she stormed out, melting her tiara with dragonfire before flying to the Fire Isles and refusing to leave for several weeks. Her attitude and quick fury made her unpopular in court, who viewed her as a stain on the reputation of the rest of her siblings. She received less then a tenth of the betrothal offers her elder sister received, and where Naerys would politely pen apologies to every man she turned down Viserra would refuse to speak to any. She also refused to befriend other courtly girls and preferred flying to womanly arts. She accompanied Aelyx when he trained with the master-at-arms though she herself could not train. She was teased by the boys at court but met their insults with her own fire, terrorising them with her dragon and her own quick tongue. She was never popular with the smallfolk as she was constantly terrifying them with her dragon, however unintentionally. Back home on the Fire Isles she was far more beloved. When Daeron left he had instated somewhat of an elected council, one he would oversee until his death. Princess Viserra's care for the island, contrasted by Daeron's seeming abandonment left her much well-liked by the inhabitants. As many had been around dragons since birth they were not so frightened as the Westeroi and were never upset by her flying. Viserra spent most of her time there, leaving whenever she could which was often as she was not a permanent or exceptionally necessary fixture in court. The lightning strike 243 AC was an autumnal year and particularly tempestuous. The Reach, the Westerlands, the Riverlands, the Vale and the Crownlands experienced weather only ever having been experienced by the Stormlands. House Baratheon and its constituents aided the four kingdoms during this period, as they had adapted to such phenomena. A consequence of this weather was that the dragons could not be ridden. The weather was dangerous for flight, for both the riders and the dragons, and the three dragonriding siblings were as such left to wait in the Red Keep. King Daeron attempted to send the cooped-up Princess Viserra and Prince Aelyx to Dorne or the North where the weather was not in effect, but was counselled against it. The Small Council believed rogues who did not agree with Daeron’s reign may take advantage of the weather and lack of dragons to attack the two. After six moons of being stuck in the castle she hated, Viserra finally grew sick of it. In the dead of night she left her room, mounted Sweet Sister and the two took flight. King Daeron was informed almost immediately and he and the rest of the family ran out. It was one of the worst storms of the year; rain beat down, thunder deafened and lightning blindined. Just as Daeron and Aelyx were preparing to board their dragons and save their sister, they watched in horror as a bolt of lightning struck her and Sweet Sister. The dragon and the princess fell out of the sky, landing in the Blackwater. It was said for several seconds that all across the rush crackled and flashed before giant waves drenched the areas of King’s Landing that boarded that section they’d fallen. King Daeron, Prince Daeron, Prince Aelyx and several of the Kingsguard dove in, pulling Princess Viserra from the depths, while Sunshadow and Starsmoke pulled Sweet Sister out and flew her to the Dragonpit. When Viserra was finally brought into the castle and seen in the light, they saw she had changed. Streak of her hair, famously black from her Blackwood grandmother, had been shocked white and a dark indigo bruises in the shape of the lightning strike trailed from the side of her face down her arms, legs, chest, torso and back. The maesters said it was an occurrence common in lightning strike victims caused by veins bursting and though usually they were red it would quickly fade. They never faded however and forever she was scarred. Sweet Sister too had been effected. She had before been black with gradient blue wings and a blue underbelly but after, shocks of lightning shaped blue was streaked across her body. Her fire had changed too. While before it had been dark blue flame it was now a bright blue and it crackled with lighting. Viserra fell into a coma and her siblings despaired she would perish but after a moon’s turn however she woke. Some hoped the experience would knock some sense into her but though she was more sullen she was the same as she always had been. Upon seeing her dragon again for the first time, she declared her to be renamed Skystrike, though the Sweet Sister moniker was still used on occasion. Lord Lyonel's appointment as Hand In 244 AC, Lord Ergorn Hightower, who Daeron had inherited as hand of the King from Aegon V died, and it was his wife's father Lord Lyonel Baratheon he chose as Lord Hightower's replacement. The Laughing Storm was one of Daeron's strongest allies after Daeron readily agreed a marriage to Argella was the only way to mend the offence Prince Duncan had given to the house. With him he brought his second son Orys, of an age with Viserra. Daeron had hoped Viserra might finally find a friend in Orys as by all accounts Orys had the same temperament Viserra did. This did not happen. Viserra and Orys immediately clashed, earning them the moniker of The Fire and The Fury barely a month into Orys' visit. It was not uncommon to hear them screaming at each other over one thing or another and soon their rivalry was known all the Seven Kingdoms. Death threats were common too, as were both harmless and cruel jests. On one occasion, after some teasing from Orys about Viserra conversing with a Martell boy, Viserra flew Skystrike to Orys' bedroom window, having the dragon roar and set fire to the curtains. In retaliation, Orys stole all her clothes an hour before Naerys' namely ball and left only a gown (one popular amongst court ladies at the time thanks to Naerys wearing one of a similar style to the tourney in honour of Ser Matthis Tyrell and Lady Maris Crane's betrothal). Viserra was left to begrudgingly wear the gown. Category:House Targaryen of Dragon's Rest